Steaming and drying machine



2', wmmz Jan, 4 193% A. RFEFFEL. I STEAMING AND DRYING MACHINE 3Sheets-Sheei l Filed NOV. 9, 1934 INVENTOR:

WI TNESSES:

A u GQST E/EFFEL 51m, 93. A. RIEFFEL. ZJMAGZ STEAMING AND DRYING MACHINEFiled Nov. 9, 1934 5SheetsSheet 2 Run a WITNESSES: Y INVENTOR: gnaw WW.I Ava/5T F/EFFEL 4W; .W v I Patented Jan. 4, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to steaming and drying machines, and has for anobject to provide an improved mechanical device for stretching, steamingand drying a tubular fabric, as for instance,

a knit fabric.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means forapplying the steam to the fabric during its progress through themachine.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means for.stretching the fabric during the steaming process.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved feeding anddrying mechanism, applicable subsequent to the steaming step.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means forcontrolling the steaming device for fabrics of different widths.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved heating andfeeding roller.

The invention comprises means for supporting a roll of tubular material,with means introduced into the interior of the tube for stretching thefabric to an exact required width and applying steam thereto, withheated rollers between which the fabric is passed after such steamingand stretching, for the purpose of drying and setting the fabric and towind the fabric upon a receiving roller, and including means formaintaining the fabric properly centered relative to the drying andwinding rollers, also including a perforated steaming pipe having asleeve mounted to oscillate thereon, said sleeve being provided withslots of such size and contour as to uncover predetermined and variableperforated areas of the perforated pipe.

The drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention and the viewstherein are as follows:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine showing the fabric mountedthereon with a part broken away,

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the machine, as indicated byarrow 2 at Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical section through substantially themiddle of the machine, 45 Figure 4 is a view partly in elevation andpartly in section of the heating and drying rollers,

Figure 5 is a view in plan of the stretcher,

Figure 6 is a plan view of the steaming device,

Figure '7 is a sectional view through the steaming device, taken on line'l--'I of Figure 6, and

Figures 8, 9, l0 and 11 are diagrammatic views of the steaming deviceshowing different steps in the regulation of the steaming area.

Like characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the severalviews.

of angle material is purely illustrative. 5

The frame carries a pair of arms 2| properly braced as by the strap 22and provided with slots 23 to receive a bar 24 carrying a roll 25 oftubular fabric. While this device is applicable to tubular fabric ofvarying construction, it is especially adapted to carrying tubularknitted goods which require stretching, steaming and setting beforebeing employed for the manufacture of garments or other articles.

From the roll 25, the tubular knit fabric, as shown at 26, passes over aroller 21 which is driven by means of a sprocket 28 over which passes asprocket chain 29. The sprocket chain 29 receives power from a shaft 30which is driven from any approved source of power, a motor 3| beingshown as illustrative of such power, and connected through the pulley 32through the medium of the clutch 33, manually controlled by the lever 34on one side of the machine, and the lever 35 upon the opposite side ofthe machine.

The sprocket chain 29 in its travel passes over an idler 36, a secondsprocket 31 upon the roller 38, and a sprocket 39 on the roller 40, achain tightener 4| being introduced into the run of the chain. go

The fabric 26, after passing over the driven roller 21, also passes overthe driven rollers 38 and 40, and is introduced between the lower roller42 and the upper roller 43, passing partly about such. upper roller 43,as shown more particularly at Figure 3, and wound about a beam 44,mounted to slide in slots 45 in uprights 46 so that the fabric woundupon the beam 44 rests upon the upper roller 43 and receives motiontherefrom for rolling the fabric about said beam 44.

Before the fabric is introduced into the bite between the rollers 42 and43, a stretcher is introduced into the tube. This stretcher comprises abar 41, preferably round, and of such diameter that it will not passbetween the rollers 42 and 43. The bar 41 carries a frame 48 of wire orlike material, of such width as to correspond to the width of the fabricafter it has been stretched as required, tapered sides 49 being providedto properly thread the stretcher through the fabric, such sides beingconnected by the cross bar 50.

While the fabric is stretched over the stretcher, shown at Figure 5, itis subjected to moistening by steam from the steaming device 5|, and insuch moistened condition, passes along the stretcher v pulley 68 which rceives I: 69 from the shaft 36.

and between the rollers 42 and 13, where it is heated and dried beforebeing Wound upon the beam 44. Guide rollers 52 are adjustably mountedupon a bar 53, and adapted to bear against the edges of the fabric as itpasses along the edge of the stretcher to insure the proper uniformwinding of the fabric upon the beam 44.

The heating and drying rollers 42 and 43 are constructed as hollowcylinders, as indicated at 54 in Figures 1 and 4, having heads 55 in theopposite ends with passages 56 therethrough to accommodate theconnecting sleeves 5?, fed by the steam pipes 58 from any convenientsource of steam supply, indicated conveniently by the boiler 59 atFigure 1.

The passages 56 through the hubs of the rollers, are slightly largerthan the connecting sleeves 5'! to provide for a very limited variationof the bite of the rollers 52 and 43. Within these rollers 42 and 43,drums 8B are provided, in communication with the steam pipes 58, andpreferably these drums will be provided with heat radiating surfaces,indicated by the circumferential corrugations GI at Figure 4.

The rollers 42 and 43 are provided With friction-increasing surfaces asthe reticulation 62, and are intergeared by means'of gears 63 and 64which are also provided with passages to accommodate the steam pipes 58.

These rollers 42 and 43 are driven by means of a sprocket 65 carriedupon one of the rollers, as the roller 42, and provided with a chain 66passing over a sprocket $7 rigidly connected with the power through theband The steaming device 5! comprises a pipe 16 rigidly connected withthe steam pipe ll which is a branch from the'steam pipe 58, and hasmeans for discharging the spent steam, as the drip pipe 12. The pipe 76is provided with a plurality of rows of perforations i3, some of whichrun the entire length of the pipe 16.

Mounted upon the pipe 19 is a sleeve 14 having adjacent the middlethereof cut-out parts 15 of sufficient circumferential area to uncovertwo rows of perforations, and to provide a margin over said two rows topermit the rotation of the sleeve by means of the hand lever 76.

As shown at Figure 6, the sleeve 14 is in position to uncover two rowsof perforations 73 the entire length of the pipe it. This position isshown also at Figure 7.

By moving the hand lever 15 in the direction opposite to the arrow atFigure 7, one row of perforations is covered, leaving only a single rowexposed, as shown at Figure 8. By movement in the direction indicated bythe arrow at Figure '7, two complete rows of perforations are exposedthrough the middle and proximate openings in the sleeve 74, with one rowat the extreme. At Figure 10 the sleeve F4 is rotated a step farther inthe direction indicated by the arrow at Figure '7, whereby all of theperforations in the end sections are covered, a single row ofperforations being exposed in the sections next nearest the center,while at the middle sections two rows of perforations are still exposed.

This arrangement of perforations is exposed for the treating of fabricsof different widths, and also to regulate the amount of steam dischargedfor the purpose of moistening the fabric of any Width, as it will beapparent from the various steps illustrated in the diagrammatic Figures9 to 11 inclusive that a great variety of adjustments is possiblewhereby the steam discharge may be regulated to a nicety.

In operation, a roll of tubular fabric, as for instance knitted fabric,indicated by the roll 25, is mounted upon the arms 2 I The fabric isthen unwound to expose the end and the stretcher shown at Figure 5 isinserted into the end of the fabric. The end of the fabric is nowintroduced into the bite between the rollers 42 and 43, the central linedisclosed at Figure 1 being employed for the purpose of centering thefabric.

The rollers 52 are moved along the bar 53 into engagement with thefabric bearing against the sides of the stretcher. Enough of the fabricis now drawn between the rollers so that winding about the beam 44 maybe initiated.

The machine is now ready to operate. The sleeve 74 of the steamingdevice is adjusted to discharge the required amount of steam onto thefabric, which is drawn over the several rollers 21,

38 and 46. The stretcher, it will be understood,

is Within the tube of the fabric, with the bar 47 prevented from passingthrough the bite of the rollers 42 and 43 by reason of its size, and,therefore, held constantly Within the tubular fabric, which isprogressing by reason of the rotation of the rollers 42 and '53.

The rollers 42 and 43 are heated by the drums 69 within the rollers, fedby the steam pipe 58, fed from the source of steam supply indicatedconveniently by the boiler 5:3. The heating of the rollers tends to setthe fabric which has been stretched to the exact required limit by thestretcher; also to dry the moisture imparted thereto by the steam, andthe fabric then rolled upon the beam 44 for further use.

Especial emphasis is laid upon the heating of the rollers 42 and 43 bymeans of the internally positioned steam drums which are fed by thesteam pipes, these drums being stationary and, therefore, there being nomovable joints requiring glands or other packing to prevent the escapeof steam, all joints being steam-tight and fixed.

Of course, the steaming and drying machine illustrated may be modifiedand changed in various ways without departing from the invention hereinset forth and hereinafter claimed.

I claim:--

1. In a steaming and drying machine, a hollow roller, means to drive theroller, a drum within the roller fixed against rotation, said drum beingprovided with a contour enlarging the radiating surface, and means tosupply a heated fluid to the drum.

2. In a steaming and drying machine, a fixed drum, means for conductinga heating fluid to the drum, a roller mounted to rotate about the drumand provided with axial openings to accommodate the fluid conduit, saidopenings being larger than the conduit to accommodate yielding movementof the roller.

AUGUST RIEFFEL.

